Review/ Giveaway: Crayola Virtual Design Pro: Sharpen Your Creative Vision

What do you get when you take this:

 and some of this:

Ever imagine, you'd get this?

I always thought Smart Toys and Games pieces were beautiful.

and kids can make their own cars for a driving game too- just like this one!

Kinda messy but......

this car is good enough to drive.....

HOLIDAY GIFT TIP #1- It Starts NOW!!!!! WHAT: Crayola Virtual Design PRO (FASHION & CAR DESIGN) and Virtual Fashion Show     
DOES: Never have I seen virtual and digital design toys like this, ever!
INVEST: $21.99 to $29.99
AGES: 6-8
GIVEAWAY PRIZE:  winner chooses fashion or design set $30 value. The set is inspiring and gorgeous.

Imagine designing a cute hoodie sweater, 3/4 length sleeves, and a pair of capris. You color it, choose your model's hair color and style and kazam- your design is paraded  down a runway with a New-York-City-at-night backdrop. Sounds amazing? 

Well how about designing your own futuristic Knight Rider, attaching spoilers, sick hubcaps, and then, and then taking it out for a spin on an obstacle course of your choosing. 

You think I am lying to you but I tell ye the truth!  The future is here and it is amazingly fun! But enough of my blabbing, let's see some pictures!

Our kindergarten age tester made this design. I absolutely love this look.

You can see how adding a detail looks just by coloring it in and rescanning your design.

parents will want to draw with kids! If you don't care to, don't even talk to me. How can you resist?

You can experiment with your 3D Toys.  This is the Nanoblock Big Ben.  Crazy, huh?

Kids: My design is on the cover of this mag Mom!!!!

 Watch this video to see how you design clothing and cars:

This is the FOLD puzzle from Fat Brain Toys.

You'll be hearing from me about NIYA soon from my next post at Forbes.com

AND in case you child isn't into designing dresses, there are male models too.

We made this t-shirt design using CUBU game piece by Funnybone Toys. Green pants via the Crayola marker provided in the set.

DON'T FORGET THE VIRTUAL DESIGN PRO- CARS set!

My husband designed this car.  He made a lot of use out of the stencils.

More designing tools in the app

Why Is This Good For Kids?

Do you ever ask yourself questions like:

• I wonder if that top goes with those pants?
• I wonder what would this house would look like in white paint?
• I wonder if I can get away with a bob cut?

These are what I call visioning skills. You have to be able to see your idea with as much clarity as possible even though you have never seen it in real life. When you have something you've already seen from memory, it can still be hard to visualize it.  But when you are putting something together, it can be really tough.

The best way to build up this skill, I think, is simply by doing.  The more experience you have in bringing your ideas to life, the more you can sharpen that vision.  When this vision sharpens, the benefits are tremendous because it will make you a better planner.  Being able to plan means that kids will feel less overwhelmed.

Okay, But This Doesn't Make Them a Designer Right?

Well, actually, it kind of does.  While playing with this app will not mean they are ready to start working for Tommy Hilfiger, the whole point is to start challenging themselves. This is not the toy to teach you about how to draw a dress with an empire waistline or design the most aerodynamic SUV but there is no question in my mind this toy frees children to pursue more inquiry based learning and ask all those "What if" questions but the best part is that they'll answer them all by themselves.

My wish to Crayola for Virtual Design Pro 2.0

1. Please make sure you do a 2.0 version
2. Give the women and men a larger variety of footwear.  I would love boots!
3. Make differently shaped models and even different age models maybe even kid models!
4. Biggest wish: Allow kids to design the clothing too or at least give them more options. 

Believe me, my testers would pay good money for all these add-ons.  We really just want more, more, more, this product is gold!


 If you would like to view a demonstration by Crayola, check out this video.


 Okay holiday gift hunters! Let's try to win this one!

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Disclosure:  Toys are Tools was not compensated by the manufacturers of anything mentioned here for the publication of this review.  The reviewed items were provided to Toys are Tools to facilitate a review.  Reviews are never promised